The Bodies of Crater Lake

The Bodies of Crater Lake

There are some places you just don’t go. Of course, there are forbidden places you’re not allowed to visit, areas too dangerous to traverse, or regions impossible to reach. There are some places that we are perfectly able to get to, but we would rather not. Whether it’s superstition, suspicion, or just plain spooky, there are some places that you just don’t go.

Since the 1970s body after body has been discovered in or around Crater Lake, leaving locals to fear the nearly 600-foot deep man-made lake.

Most recently, the burned and decaying body of Yvette King was discovered on Albert Moorhead Road. She had been killed in her home near Grangerland and her body later dumped by her own daughter Brandi King and associate Rocco Martin Masselle.

Almost a month before that, the body of Darcus Penrice had been discovered on Crater Hill Road, her body stabbed several times. No one has been arrested in connection with her death.

A year before, Justin Shane Pruitt was found in a dumpster off of Coon Massey Road, also stabbed several times. Three men had been arrested in connection with his murder.

Three years before that, Sandra Stotler was found in the lake itself, shot to death. Her killer, Michael James Perry, was put to death for her murder.

Those are just the recent ones. Another body had been discovered in 1986 and was never identified. The man was shot, weighted down with cinder blocks, and tossed into the lake. Another young girl, Lisa Michelle Jackson, had apparently been found dead in a nearby field in 1979.

Why this lake? According to Montgomery County Sheriff Lt. Dan Norris, “It’s a secluded, very dark area that is not traveled a lot at night,” implying that the location makes for a perfect place to get rid of a body.

While Crater Lake might not be a place to get yourself killed, it’s most certainly a place you don’t want to end up.